


Collection of AruAni one-shots

by lionhart



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AruAni, Aruani Week, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 14:50:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12914190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionhart/pseuds/lionhart
Summary: I’m quite happy with how some of these turned out for AruAni week so I thought I’d share them here. May contain manga spoilers.





	1. Eyes

Annie’s limp body fell into the boy’s outstretched arms as the crystal disintegrated into grains of lucent sand. “Annie!” Armin was on his knees in a shimmering sheet of dust, the only remnants of what was once the crystal that had encased the girl for all these years. He held her close and soon noticed that her body was ice cold, immediate panic set in, “Annie, can you hear me?”

She had no idea where she was or what was going on and despite being able to see nothing but darkness, she recognised _his_ voice straight away and somehow, knowing she was in his arms reassured her disorientated state of mind ever so slightly. “A-Armin?” she managed to stutter out as her body began to tremble and convulse. 

The young man gasped and he held her tighter, “You’re okay…” he murmured softly more to himself, “How do you feel?”

Annie creased her brows as a look of deeper confusion swept across her features, the girl started to rub at her eyes, “Your voice is…” she paused momentarily, “…deeper.”

“It’s been four years.”

Hearing this, Annie rubbed her eyes more vigorously and opened them slowly. Armin swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked down into those piercing blue eyes of hers, _oh_ , how he’d missed those eyes.

“I-I can’t see…” the blonde squinted and frowned. Armin felt her chest heave as her breathing picked up pace with her distress, “Where am I, Armin?”

“Don’t worry, you’re sight will return in time. I’m sure it’s just because you’ve been asleep inside the crystal for so long…” Annie let out a long shaky breath and Armin sighed, “You’re safe with us, us being the Survey Corps that is. That’s all you need to know for the time being.” His voice was soft as silk, which against all odds relaxed her. “Do you remember?” he questioned and Annie closed her eyes; after all, they weren’t much use to her.

“Yes.” She uttered, “I remember…”

Armin bit his lip and pondered on what was the best thing to say, after several long moments, he finally settled with “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be…you did what you had to do. I understand.”

Annie felt Armin’s breath brush against her cheek as he let out another soft sigh, “So did you. I…” he stopped short. He couldn’t tell her everything right then and there; he knew Annie was far from stupid and that even in a dazed state like this she would have figured that a lot would have had to have happened in four years. But, nevertheless, she was still in a fragile condition and he didn’t want to shock her too much.

“Are we alone?” Annie asked and Armin detected a hint of apprehension in her tone.

The blond stupidly nodded before answering, “Yes, we are. They thought it best I was the one to be here at a time like this.” Armin watched Annie’s face carefully and noticed her lips curve up into the smallest of smiles for a fraction of a second.

“Do you _know_?”

“Yes.”

Annie released another long breath, but said no more. Perhaps she didn’t want to know right now; perhaps she wanted to lie in his embrace a little longer, pretending everything was okay. Armin too remained quiet; he had forgotten just how small Annie was. Small, but strong, he thought.

“I feel your eyes on me, Arlert.” Annie whispered after some time and Armin blushed profusely, that kind of embarrassment sent him back to when he was a bashful fifteen year old; even though she clearly couldn’t see, he turned his eyes away and focussed on the fragments of the crystal that were glistening under the dim light, his face still hot. By turning away however, he failed to notice the smile on her face. Her desire to see the man was now taking over; she desperately wanted to see if he still had that baby face, or that unique haircut and those deep ocean blue eyes… with the longing in her heart, Annie crumpled her eyes and attempted to reopen them. This time, unlike last, she could see, albeit a blurry sight. She could make out the young man’s outline and that his blond hair was no longer long, but instead cut short. “Look at me.”

Armin turned to her swiftly, eyes wide, “Is your eyesight back?”

As her eyes focussed on the boy’s face she was immediately drawn to his own eyes, and just as her foggy vision cleared, it clouded over again as tears welled up and flooded down her cheeks. It was then that Armin knew that her sight had returned and instead of saying anything, the young man simply wiped the tears away so that she could see clearly once more.


	2. Homecoming

“So I’ve decided.” Armin announced as he dropped a pile of books on top of the table next to Eren and Mikasa, “I’m going to ask Annie to prom.”  

Much to Armin’s surprise, the brunet diverted his attention away from his lunch and looked up at him with raised brows, “Annie… _Leonhart_?”

Armin rolled his eyes and pulled up a chair next to his best friend who admittedly, could be rather dense at times, “Eren, how many other people do you know named Annie in our school?”

Eren shrugged and took another eager bite from his homemade lunch, “What I mean is,” he started with his mouth full—an extremely unpleasant sight to say the least, “Do you really think a girl like her would be interested in something like prom?”

“Eren,” Mikasa scolded lightly, “please refrain from talking with your mouth open, some of us are still trying to eat here.” The girl then turned her attention to the blond, “Don’t listen to him, Armin. You two would make a cute couple. But you should hurry, time is running out. Prom is this weekend after all.”

“Thank you, Mikasa and I know. I was planning on asking her today.” Armin perked up somewhat but could really do with both his friends support at a time like this, because truth be told, he was extremely nervous about approaching Annie with this topic. He was fine talking to her about anything else and he was pretty damn sure she was crushing on him too, but actually going ahead and asking her out…now, that idea was rather daunting. “Hey,” the boy just clocked, “what do you mean by ‘ _a girl like her_ ’ anyway?”

“She’s kinda aloof,” Eren explained, “I mean she’s cool and all don’t get me wrong but… she also has that reputation you know.”

Armin cocked a brow at this, “No, I don’t know, Eren. Care to enlighten me?”

“She’s a bad girl. She smokes, she wears fishnets, she skives off from class and she could totally cream you. Scratch that. She could totally cream all of us, except maybe Mikasa.”

“Your point is?”

Eren let out a sigh, “My point is you’re a total geek. You’re top of the class, you actually like doing your homework and you watch anime.”

“I’m still going to ask her.” Armin nodded determinedly, stood up, and began collecting his books.

“I’m sure she will say yes.” Mikasa smiled gently, “She may be solitary but I know for a fact that you’re one of the few people she enjoys being around.”

Armin’s boyish face flushed pink and his bright eyes lit up at her words, “Thanks again, Mika. Boy, I really hope she says yes.”

“Good luck.” Eren waved him off and the teen scuttled out of the cafeteria in search of Annie Leonhart.

Despite his earlier confidence, Armin’s stomach was now churning over and his hands clammy. That in turn, was making carrying his books increasingly more difficult. Yet despite this, he was still hell bent on finding her and there wasn’t much hindering him considering he knew where she liked to chill during lunch breaks. Being the lone-wolf that she was the girl liked to hang out in empty classrooms, more specifically, the one where they shared homeroom. As he made his way to room 202 he silently prayed to whatever god that was up there that Annie would be there, at the same time, a part of him hoped she wouldn’t be so that he could put this off a little longer. The boy shook the latter thoughts from his head, knowing prom was nearing and poked his head around the door to find the blonde sitting at a desk by the window, one arm resting on table, hand propping her head up, one leg crossed over the other and earphones stuck in each ear.  The boy swallowed a lump in his throat and stepped inside. Before Annie noticed his presence, he gave himself a mental prep talk,

_Just try and stay calm. Stay cool. You’ve got this._

Unfortunately, coordination had never been one of Armin’s strong points and much to the boy’s despair he did not have this and went head over heels after tripping on a chair that had been sticking out from underneath one the desks. He was sent flying to the ground, books and all and landed with a crash that surprised the girl by the window. Armin cursed himself and felt the heat pool to his cheeks as he attempted to collect his books up off of the floor. Slight startled, Annie removed her earphones and jumped up out of her seat.

“Need help?”

“I’m fine, it’s fine really!” Armin rushed out, but despite his assurance Annie helped with the books. Their hands brushed against each other’s for the briefest of moments as they both went for the same one and Annie felt her neck flush.

“Sorry.” She muttered.

“Don’t be, thanks for the help…” Armin stood up and dusted himself off, face still red.

“Are you okay?” she asked, “Lunch isn’t over yet is it?”

“U-um,” the boy quickly looked to his watch, “No, we’re good; still another ten minutes or so.” Armin paused briefly, “And I’m fine really… I’m used to falling over, I’ve always been a klutz, even when I was little…” the boy could feel himself rambling and a voice in his head told him now was the time to ask. “Um…so, what are you up to?”

Annie blinked, “Nothing much really, I was just listening to music.” There was a moments silence and the blonde diverted her eyes away from Armin’s for a second or two before continuing, “Actually I was just listening to that song you recommended me the other day. It’s pretty cool.”

“R-really? I’m glad you like it…” the boy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, his mind racing, heart thumping. The question was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn’t spit it out.

_Come on Armin! Ask her! Now is your chance…_

“You sure you’re okay, Arlert?” Annie observed, her piercing blue eyes were penetrating him and he started to feel hot under the collar.

“Fine! Absolutely. Never been better to be honest…”

_ASK._

“Okay. If you say so.” Annie raised a hand to place her bangs behind her ear and silence fell upon them.

_ASK NOW._

“So um I—” he began, ready to bite the bullet and get it over with, but was cut off.

“Hey Armin,” Annie looked him in the eye and then away again, “want to go to prom with me?” the girl’s pale eyes returned their gaze to Armin’s ocean blue ones. He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, mostly in disbelief. “It’s just, well it’s stupid really,” she continued almost shyly, “My dad says I should go… he said if I don’t, I’ll regret it. It’s like a milestone or some shit like that…”

“I…!” Armin let out a shaky sound of elation, “I was actually just about to ask you the same thing but you beat me to it.” He let out a soft laugh and once again, the boy felt himself blush, “I’d love to go to prom with you, Annie.”

A small smile played on the girl’s lips, “Right.” She paused again, “Well, I’ll text you my address and you can come pick me up.”

“Sure.” Armin felt his heart burst; he hadn’t felt this good in a long while.

 


	3. Sneaking Around

Annie never really had any problems sloping off unnoticed during training, apart from when Reiner decided to poke his nose into her business, which irritated her to no end. Generally speaking though, she could disappear for hours on end and nobody would even blink an eye, something she was truly thankful for. A lone-wolf by nature and typically introverted, she valued her alone time, in fact it was a necessity. Armin on the other hand didn’t have that luxury. If he was gone for more than thirty minutes at a time, either Eren or Mikasa would notice his absence, worry, and go searching for him. This was never really a problem though, because Armin was too busy training extra hard to catch up with the other cadets and therefore had no inclination whatsoever to skive.

So, naturally, the only time Annie could find to be truly alone with the boy was at night. Consequently, she’d find herself counting down the hours to lights out, her heart thudding with anticipation for her chance to skulk off away from the barracks and meet with him somewhere under the stars.

The girl wasn’t exactly sure when it all started or how it started. One thing she was certain of was that there was now no going back, she’d fallen for him and hard. It was honestly the last thing she expected to happen; after all, she never thought she had the charm to attract anyone, nor did she particularly  _want_  to attract anyone. Her relationship with Armin was simultaneously the best and worst thing to happen to her. Her attempts to ward him off at first failed miserably because his determination was beyond that of hers and over time, she found herself searching for him and not the other way around. What they shared could never be an open thing, not like Jean and Marco or Hannah and Franz; she couldn’t do that to Armin. One day, everyone would hate her and when that happened, the last thing she wanted was to bring Armin down with her. If people believed them to be a couple, when the inevitable day arrived, Armin’s name would be dragged through the mud as it was highly likely that everyone would think he was affiliated with her. And, if she was to fail, she would make sure Armin would be the one to reveal her true intentions and expose her; she would have him be crowned a hero in the eyes of the people within the Walls, it was the least she could do. Her betrayal would hurt him enough, she thought. So, to spare his reputation she decided that everything must be kept secret and that involved a lot of sneaking around.

Tonight was no different to any other night. When nightfall came and everyone was fast asleep from a hard days training, Annie pounced out of bed, light on her feet like a cat and crept out of quarters. A cool but pleasant breeze hit her as she stepped out and made her way to the lake where she knew the boy would be waiting for her, her heart pounding as usual. When she arrived, however, the blond was nowhere to be seen which left her feeling mildly disappointed; he hadn’t let her down once so far, so she figured tonight would be no different and that perhaps some of the boys were still awake, preventing Armin from leaving unnoticed. Annie took a seat on the grass, closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her platinum locks that fell just short of her shoulders; she combed the strands to make them somewhat presentable for her lover, who she was sure would be there anytime soon.

Her crystal like eyes shot open when she heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby bush and shot to her feet, ready for whatever it was. She may have been tired, but that didn’t stop her from being vigilant; when she heard the bush stir once more she clenched her fists.

“Armin?” Annie’s eyes darted from the bush to the trees just several metres away, no response. Perhaps it was just some wild animal, she thought, and loosened up a bit. However, the rustling started up again and she couldn’t control her defensive stance.

“SURPRISE!” a pair of large blue eyes jumped out at her a second later and she screamed, a high pitched sound uncharacteristic of her. It was followed by a giggle, but it didn’t come from Annie’s mouth.

“Armin!” Annie’s porcelain cheeks flushed red at the sight of the boy now standing in front of her, a wide almost smug grin plastered across his boyish face. “You scared the shit out of me.” She growled, clearly annoyed.

“Sorry…” the grin quickly faded and was replaced with a look of concern, “I didn’t mean to scare you. I mean, maybe a little…Sorry.” The blonde rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, evidently still peeved by the boy’s actions. Armin pouted, “Are you mad at me?”

“A little.” She admitted but whatever animosity she felt just moments ago was wavering, looking at Armin’s face had that effect on her and he could tell.

“I’ve never heard you scream like that before. Well… actually, I have. But under different  _circumstances_.” The playful smile was back on the boy’s face and Annie was red again.

“God, who would have thought you were such a pervert, Arlert. It doesn’t match that angelic face of yours.” She muttered back and sat down, beckoning the boy to follow.

“I don’t even know what that means.” Armin spoke innocently and sat down closely beside her.

At that, Annie couldn’t help but smile, “You know damn well.”

“Do I now?”

The blonde threw her head back as a soft, almost carefree laugh escaped her lips and looked up to the stars, “You know I’m going to get you back for that one, tiger.”

Armin chuckled and followed Annie’s line of sight, staring up at the sky, “I expected as much.”

A comfortable silence fell upon the two and Annie turned her attention to the boy. She watched his face as he continued to gaze up at the night sky with a look of awe spread across his innocent features. She really couldn’t help but stare and concluded that there was no better sight—his ruffled blond locks, cute nose, the tone of skin under the pale moonlight and his bright shining eyes… they even outshone the stars above.

Heat pooled to the boy’s cheeks as he felt the weight of Annie’s stare and when he turned to face her, her heart lurched. She felt a bittersweet sensation as their eyes locked and she wondered just how many nights like this were left.

“Hey, Annie.” Armin’s voice was barely above a whisper,

“Hm?”

“Want me to make you scream again?”

“Oh my God, Armin.”

 


	4. One Last Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever wonder if Armin and Annie had a quickie in that alleyway? The answer is yes.

_“Say… Do I really seem like such a good person to you?”_

_“A good person? Well… I don’t particularly like that term. I mean, that just… seems like something you’d call someone who’s of use to you. And I don’t think there’s anyone who’s of use to everyone. That being said, if you don’t agree to cooperate… you’d be a bad person in my eyes, right?”_

_“Fine…” with her back to the boy, Annie slipped the silver ring onto her right index finger, “I’m in.”_

* * *

The girl stood with her back facing Armin for several more moments, mulling over his words.  _He’s a good liar,_ she thought as her lips curved up into a bittersweet smile,  _but not good enough. Not for me at least, I can read him like a book… and that nervous look in his eyes tells me he’s not convinced I’ve bought into his little plan either, but, if I can assure him for just a little while, perhaps…_  the girl’s thoughts dwindled away as tears formed in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. She had to admit that she had underestimated the boy’s capacity for callousness.  _No, that’s not the right word…_ Annie knew sacrifices had to be made, but even after acknowledging this, she couldn’t help but feel hurt.

The blonde refused to look at Armin until she had regained some of her control, this meant taming her whirling emotions and restoring the calm and impassive composure she was renowned for. When she eventually looked his way again, her face portrayed nothing of what was going on inside. Her mask was up despite the rattling of her heart; dull, lifeless pale blue eyes locked with Armin’s and in those eyes of his was deep remorse, the same emotion she was now trying to stifle, among many others. In spite of the lies he had just spouted so confidently, he had yet to master the trick of disguising his feelings. He had always been emotional, it couldn’t be helped, she guessed. If it wasn’t for the years of practise and all that she’d been through, Annie was sure she would have cracked by this point.

“Armin.” her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Yes, Annie?” the sombre look was still present in his eyes. He looked like a kicked puppy.

“I understand we don’t have a lot of time,” the blonde knew this was it, this was the end, “But, considering I’m going to such lengths to help you and your friends… I was wondering if there was something you could do for me in return.” The girl’s heart was now pounding, so much so that she was certain he could hear it, it was practically about to burst from the confines of her chest.

“A-anything.” Armin’s voice cracked but there was sincerity in the smile that he gave her.

Annie couldn’t help herself, if this was truly the end, she wanted  _him_. The blonde closed the space between them and without another word, pressed her lips against his. Armin reciprocated the kiss without a second thought, and at that moment he fully understood the meaning behind the girl’s request. Their mouths continued to work against each other’s until the boy could no longer contain himself and nipped at Annie’s bottom lip—his way of demanding her to open up. Her response was immediate and she eagerly invited him inside, but wasn’t about to let him walk all over her, not even for a second. She sucked and bit Armin’s luscious lips before their tongues intertwined, both relishing each other’s taste and the closeness of their bodies. Yet, it wasn’t enough for either of them and their desire for each other seemed to cloud their judgement. The fact that their time was limited was pushed to the backburner, lust had seized the moment.

It wasn’t their first, second, or even third time. But it was the first in what seemed like a long, long time, what with Armin joining the Corps and Annie working within Wall Sina as a soldier of the Military Police. Both of them were also aware of the fact that it would most likely be their last, Annie more so.

In the heat of the moment, Armin hastily discarded his raincoat but was still mindful of the flare gun hidden underneath. Once that was off, the sound of the boy’s 3DM gear clattering to the ground echoed throughout the dark alleyway and Annie’s soon followed. With that out of the way, there was less keeping them apart; in a matter of seconds, Annie was thrust against the wall, hands interlaced in Armin’s soft locks as the boy’s hands began exploring her thighs, unbuckling the straps as fast as his trembling fingers would allow. The blonde’s heart was hammering, her face red hot. She couldn’t quite believe they were doing it here and now, but she had no regrets, especially not when her hands glided up Armin’s own thigh and brushed his crotch with a feather-like touch, earning her a soft moan from the boy’s mouth. Perhaps her  _only_  regret was that they couldn’t take it slower, but she didn’t dwell on it. The boy didn’t even have the time to remove his pants, so instead, with some fumbling around he poked his member through the opening where his zipper had been pulled down. There was no need for foreplay, Armin glided a finger over Annie’s still-clothed womanhood and could feel her wetness seeping through her panties;

“A-Annie…” he practically whined and she stripped herself to allow him entrance.

He’d apparently grown a few inches in height, and with her back up against the stone wall she tip-toed in her boots to give him better access. As Armin slid inside, Annie was unable to suppress a moan of pleasure. To have him inside her once again left her every aspect of her body feel as though it was on fire, even reaching her toes and the ends of her finger-tips. The boy bit his lip and rammed himself in and out of her, taking it slow wasn’t an option. There was a thrill to the pace he was moving at for both of them, and as he continued to pound into her, his moans grew louder.

“A-Armin…” Annie responded, mewling against him, her soft sighs and his melting together, making them undecipherable.

Unfortunately, thrusting at that pace had its drawbacks as the boy was unable to keep it up for too long. He ended up reaching his climax with a shout and Annie succeeded him, moaning his name into his ear, her hot breath living a tickling sensation on the skin.

“Sorry.” He murmured against her cheek, slightly embarrassed.

Annie didn’t say anything. Instead, she pulled up her pants and started working on the leather straps without so much as looking at him. The boy’s breathing was still rather rapid and so he just stood there for several seconds, trying to calm down.

“We better getting going.” Annie finally said, her tone was flat and it didn’t match the flushed look on her face.

“R-right.” Armin quickly zipped up, reattached his gear and grabbed the raincoat.

Annie could feel the boy’s eyes on her back as she walked away from him and when she didn’t hear him trailing behind she stopped at the end of the alleyway and looked back. The way the daylight behind her outlined her figure made her look almost angelic or holy. A flicker of hope, no,  _stupidity_  led her to believe for a fraction of a second that perhaps he’d changed his mind, but that was soon crushed as he followed her to the exit. She ignored the sinking feeling in the pit of stomach and put on her poker-face as soon as they met the street. The gamble was back on.

 


	5. Confession

The gentle, almost rhythmic sound of waves breaking as they hit the shore was the only sound heard as the pair trailed barefoot over the cool sand. It was dark, safe for the pale moonlight that shone down on the deserted beach; it was strange to think that only several hours ago the place would have been packed with people clad in swimwear, basking under the heat of the sun. It was a completely different scene at night, it was much calmer. Yet despite that, Annie’s heart was hammering against her chest. Perhaps it was because she knew that there wasn’t another soul around for at least a mile and that meant she was now completely alone with the boy who she’d been in love with since, well, since forever.

“I’m glad we did this, Annie.” Armin spoke, a soft, almost angelic smile etched onto his face.

The girl’s heart skipped a beat. He was so beautiful. “Same here.” she responded quietly, diverting her eyes to her feet, “I had fun.”  _Fun_  was an understatement. It had easily been one of the best days she’d had in ages and there was no way she’d be forgetting it anytime soon, or ever, most probably. But, Annie was mindful of the fact that she wasn’t exactly sober. Not drunk, but slightly tipsy—there was definitely enough alcohol in her system to hinder her brain from functioning properly and she wasn’t about to go and spoil everything by saying something stupid to the boy now.

“Me too. We should do it again sometime,” Armin replied, “I mean, just the two of us. That is…if you don’t mind, of course…” Armin let out an awkward laugh and placed his free hand behind his neck, the other still clutching his pair of shoes, “I’m not asking you out, or anything. Unless that’s what you want…” the boy’s face flushed red as he became aware that he’d started to ramble and that he too was a tad intoxicated. “S-sorry.”

The two stopped as they met the shoreline and Annie turned to look up at him, “What are you sorry for? I…” the girl trailed off, “I would like that a lot.” She finally responded.

“R-really?” Armin heaved a sigh of relief, “I mean…we’ve been friends for such a long time. We get on so well… I don’t think there’s another person who understands me quite like you do. Or likes to listen to me for so long…Not even Eren and Mikasa.” the boy giggled sheepishly again and the sound of the ocean filled in for the silence that fell upon them while Annie gathered her thoughts.

“I completely agree.” She finally said, “It makes me wonder why we’ve never hung out like this before.” The girl stared out at the ocean in awe, the power and unruliness of the waves, its sheer mass and the darkness put fear into her heart. 

“That’s a good point.” Armin followed Annie’s line of sight, “Just how long  _have_  we known each other?” he questioned, apparently deep in thought for a moment or two.

_Seven years and three months_ , the girl thought but settled with, “A long time.”

“According to my calculations, it’s been about seven years, no? We were ten or eleven. I remember you were tiny…” Armin concluded. 

_And three months,_  flashed across her mind.  _And it’s been seven years, two months, three weeks and six days since I fell in love with you, Arlert._ She wanted to add, but decided against it.

“Yes, I was wasn’t I? Even so, I could still kick your butt. You weren’t exactly big either.”  

Armin laughed and at that moment, Annie fixed her gaze on the boy. A lump caught in her throat as the emotions she was trying so hard to suppress began to seep from the depths of her heart. It didn’t take long for him to feel the intensity of her stare and he blushed. Everything she was holding back from uttering out loud was depicted through her crystal like eyes and reflected in his own, which made the girl more than relieved that he seemingly understood and reciprocated her feelings. “Why did it take us so long?” his voice was barely above a whisper as he used a hand to place a lose strand of her ashen hair behind her ear. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips lightly against hers.

Her heart was pounding and as they closed the space between them and their chests came into contact, she could feel Armin’s own heart thumping wildly beneath his shirt. Her mind was racing;  _God_ , how she’d wanted to feel his lips on hers, to feel his touch, inhale his scent, taste him. In the absolute heat of the moment, she broke away from the boy whose face portrayed mild confusion for a fraction of a second,

“I’ve wanted this for so long…” she confessed, “I think everyone else has realised this but you…” she shook her head and locked eyes with the boy, “I’m…” Annie had never been good at expressing herself, “I’m in love with you and I’m not just saying this because I’m drunk.” she finally spat it out, her usually porcelain pale face now beet red, but a sense of relief washed over her despite everything. Armin didn’t say anything for what felt like an eternity and Annie could feel herself grow hotter by the second.

“Actually, I’ve known for quite some time…” he finally managed to say and his cheeks lifted as the corners of his mouth curved upwards into a large grin.

Annie blinked. “You… What?”

The boy ran a hand through his hair, “I guess it was quite obvious…but, I just had to hear you say it for it to become real to me…I couldn’t believe it.”

“… Oh.” Annie flushed pink again,

“I love you too. Funnily enough, I think everyone noticed but you.” Armin booped the girl’s nose, “And I’m not saying this because I’m drunk either, I mean…it certainly provided a little extra confidence alright, but I really do love you, Annie.”

Right then the tide swept in closer, sending a small wave riding over their feet. For some reason Annie ignored the urge to step back from the water and instead stayed put beside Armin, it was as if she could read the boy’s mind or their thoughts were on the same wavelength;

“Want to go in?” he gave her a grin and she couldn’t refuse. It was darn right crazy, the water was cold, it was late…but, at that moment, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

The sudden realisation that she’d have to strip hit her with demur, but she swiftly shook it off after meeting Armin’s eyes again and seeing his nervous smile.

“Together?” he spoke shyly and Annie nodded.

They stripped out of their garments bit by bit, both trembling as they fumbled with buttons and zippers. Eventually, there was nothing left but a pile of clothes on the sand, and in her flustered state Annie mumbled something about how she would never have agreed to this if she wasn’t intoxicated. Armin chuckled and focussed all his concentration on keeping his eyes on her face; meanwhile, the girl was doing the same.

“This is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done,” Armin stated shakily and held out his hand for Annie to hold, “I’m happy you’re here with me to share this experience.”

The blonde looked out to the ocean once more, apprehensive for sure, but more excited than anything, “The water’s cold so it’s probably best we tackle it but running straight in, otherwise it will be slow and painful.”

Armin nodded with a smile, “On the count of three?”

“ _One, two, three…!”_

 


End file.
